Video recorders, or VCRs, are commonly used in conjunction with television receivers to facilitate the recording of broadcast programming and the playback of pre-recorded cassettes. When the broadcasts are received over a cable system, scrambled channels may be present, which require descrambling before viewing or recording. A cable tuner/descrambler or "cable box," including a remotely controllable multi-signal tuner, is commonly employed to descramble such signals.
To facilitate a particular recording or viewing scenario, the necessary interconnections between the cable box, VCR and TV set may be quite complex, particularly if it is desired to watch one channel while viewing another. Additional complexity arises from the fact that the VCR may be equipped with a capability which allows automatic, unattended recording of a program to be broadcast at a future time. While the programming system may control the VCR tuner in order to receive the desired program at the correct time, the cable-box and TV tuners must also be properly adjusted, at the system level, in order to accommodate the recording/viewing option.
Further complexity results from the VCR, cable box and TV being typically equipped with separate infrared remote-control transmitters. Although "universal remotes" have been devised which can emulate multiple transmitters, the process of training such devices presents its own challenges to the consumer.
Long U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,133 discloses a video cassette recorder which is adapted to be connected to a multi-channel cable, to a T.V. receiver into both the input and output of the cable box. The V.C.R. incorporates multi-position switches which allow the operator to configure the intraconnection between the units in an optimum manner to achieve a desired viewing or recording function. The operator must manually adjust the switches and independently configure the associated cable box and T.V. receiver to implement an optimum configuration for viewing and/or recording.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,046, discloses a system in which a V.C.R. incorporates an infrared transmitter which allows it to exercise control over the energization and tuning of an associated and remotely controllable cable box.
While both of these innovations facilitate the operation of a television viewing system incorporating a video recorder, cable tuner and T.V. receiver, the problem of configuring the units in an optimum way and controlling their operation still requires a degree of expertise which exceeds the abilities of the average television viewer.